Sacramento daily record-union., 1887-08-13
SHORT RIBs-sS so.
A SACRAMENTO LYNCHING.
How "Jim, the Britisher," Met His Mer-
tied Deserts-A Pioneer Incident,

tied Deserts-A Pioneer Incident.
In the recently issued work of Bancroft
entitled Popular Tribunals appears the
following, which is of local interest:
"On my way to Marysville," writes Mr.
Coke, in 1850, 81 stopped couple of day.
at Sacramento. The weather was begin
ming to be cold. / had been rambling all
the morning through the town, and had
just returned to my hotel and sat ruminat
ing over large stove in the bar-room
thinking Sacramento the most comfortless
place in the world. In the course of my
walk | had observed crowd collected
round large elm tree in the horse-market
On inquiring the cause of this assembly |
was told that a man had been lynched on
one of the lower limbs of the elm at 4
o'clock in the morning A newspaper, con-
tanning an account of the affair, lay on a
chair beside me, and, taking it up, was
perusing the trial, when ruffianly Hook
ing individual interrupted me with Say,
stranger, let's have look at the paper,
will youT When | am done with it,
said |, and continued reading.
The answer would have satisfied most
Christians endowed with any moderate de-
gree Of patience, but not so with the ruff
tian. He leaned himself over the back OF
my chair, put one hand on my shoulder,
and, with the other, held the paper SO that
he could read as we'll as l.
Well, guess you're readin' about jim,
amt your
"' Who's Jim? said |.
al Him as they hung this morning. he
answered, at the same time resuming his
seat. Jim was particular friend of
mine, and helped to hang him.
GO Did you?' saidI "A friendly act What
was he hanged forg
When did you come to Sacramento
city?'
"' | arrived this morning, and have not
yet heard the particulars of this case
60 Oh, well, reckon Pll tell you how it
was then. You see Jim was a Britisher
that is, he come from place they call Bot
any Bay, which belongs to Victoria, but
amt exactly in the old country. l be-
lieve when he first came to California,
about six months back, he wasn't ac-
quainted with any boys here away, as he
took to digging all by hisself. 1t was up
at Cigar Bar whar he dug, and | hap
pened to be digging there too, and so it
was We got to knowing one another. Jim
hadn't been there fortnight before one O.
the boys lost about three hundred dollars
that he'd made cache of. Somehow
suspicious fell on Jim. More than one of
us thought he had been digging for bags
instead of dust, and the man as lost his
money swore he would have turn with
him, and so Jim took my advice and
sloped'
Well,' said |, he wasn't lynched for
that, was he?
"''Taint likely said the ruffian, for the
last week or ten days nobody knowed
whar he'd gone to. Well, when he come
to Sacramenty this time he come with a
pile and no mistake, and all day and all
night Jim used to play at faro and rou-
lette and 4 heap of other games. Nobody
couldn't tell how he made his money last
so long, nor whar he got it from; but GER
tain sure every body thought as how Jim
was considerable loafer. Last of all. a
blacksmith as lives on Broad street said he
found out the way he done it, and asked
me to come up with him to show up Jim
cheating. Now whether it was Jim sus-
pected the blacksmith | can't say, but he
didn't cheat, and lost his money in conse-
quence. This riled him very bad, and so,
wanting to get quit with the blacksmith,
he began to quarrel. The blacksmith was
quick-tempered man, and after good
deal ofabuse he could not keep his temper
any longer, and struck Jim blow in the
mouth. Jim jumped from his seat, pulled
a revolver from his pocket and shot the
blacksmith dead on the spot. l was the first
man that laid hold on the murderer, and if
it had not been for me l believe the people
in the room would have torn him to
pieces
"'"Send for Judge Parkerw shouted some.
Let's try him here" said others. al don't
want to be tried at ALL" said Jim. You
all know damned we'll that l shot the
man, and know bloody well that you will
hang me. Give me till daylight, and then
I'll die like man." But we all agreed
that he ought not to be condemned with
out proper trial, and as the report of his
pistol had brought crowd to the place, a
jury was formed out of them that were
present, and three Judges were elected
from the most respectable gentlemen in
the town. The trial lasted nearly couple
of hours. Nobody doubted that he was
guilty, or that he ought to be hanged for
murder; but the question was whether he
should die by lynch-law or be kept for a
regular trial before the Judges of the Grim
lnal Court. The best speakers said that
lynch-law was no law, and endangered
the life of every innocent man; but the
mob would have it that he was to die at
once; so as it was Just then about daylight
they carried him to the horse-market, sot
him on table and tied the rope round one
of the lower branches of a big elm tree.
All the time / kept by his side, and when
he was getting on the table he asked me to
lend him my revolver to shoot one of the
jurymen who had spoken violently against
him. When refused he asked me to tie
the knot so as it wouldn't slip. at amt
no account" said /, "to talk that way, Jim,
old fellow; you're bound to die, and if
they didn't hang you I'd shoot you my
SELF"
"'" Well, then," said he, "give me hold
of the rope and FL show you how little
care for DEATH"
He seized the cord, pulled himself in
an instant out of the crowd and sat down
cross-legged on the bough. Half dozen
rifles were raised to bring him down, but
rejecting that he could not escape they
forbore to fire. He tied nose in the rope,
put it round his neck, slipped it up till it
was pretty tight, and then stood up and
addressed the mob. He didn't say much,
except that he hated them ALL He cursed
the man he shot; he cursed the world, and
last of all he cursed himself; and, with a
terrible oath, he jumped into the air, and
with a jerk that shook the tree, swung
backwards and forwards over the heads of
sl orou-J